Project information

Connect Youth

Access to life skills & training on a voluntary basis is crucial for engaging young people who have challenging & offending behaviour. Through the project we will work with PSNI & Youth justice Agency to provide training & interactive learning which will transforms many aspects of their lives.

Charity information: The Bytes Project

Need

49% of referrals had little/no qualifications There was a pattern of drifting in and out of the court system without any real understanding of how penalties could increase in severity with increased court appearances & could severely damage their future employment prospects. DEL (OCT10) also suggests mainstream programmes fail to reach them. Connect Youth will provide a fresh approach to understanding the impact of behaviours that many get drawn into & improve employment opportunities.

Solution

Bytes will deliver a flexible programme using interactive methods to stimulate youth participation & provide connection between PSNI & youth in a positive way it will look at: involvement, consequences of behaviour on themselves, victims & wider society. This learning will be accredited at achievable level and progression routes made available. A signposting and mentoring service will facilitate the progression and transition of participants to relevant government provision when they are ready.

Risk

The content of the programmes not suitably related to the age or abilities of the participants- We will ensure that materials are designed essential skills friendly & deliver workshops with regard to the ages and abilities of those involved

Higher than expected participant drop-out on programmes- Staff trained in recruitment & retention, proactively reaching out to youth & building meaningful relationships. This will be supported by close working relationships with the YJA support worker.

Reporting

Donors will receive quarterly progress reports via email detailing the qualitative and quantitative achievements of the programme. It will also inform of up and coming activities, PR results and any necessary changes that have been made to project plans.

Location

The project will be delivered primarily in greater Belfast, L/derry, Bangor and Lurgan in community settings which are based in socially deprived and interface areas. Young people in this programme will have had a poor experience at school, dropping out early or leaving with little or no educational attainment. They will be known to youth diversionary officers (PSNI) and the youth justice agency.

Beneficiaries

Young people with complex personal issues, who are exhibiting risk taking behaviour, have extremely low self-confidence self-esteem & self-worth having no aspirations for future prospects. The NI conflict has influenced risk taking behaviour limiting prospects for work both locally and within the global economy. Young people will have the opportunity to develop personally, be made aware of the youth justice scheme and how it impacts their lives & develop employment skills.

Why Us?

Bytes have a successful track record over 17yrs of engaging young people disengaged from education & presenting with challenging, anti-social behaviour progressing them to training, further education or work. We have developed a learning model which directly addresses the areas above. Multiple entry and exit points will facilitate a roll-on roll-off programme and capture young people referred prior to and post-conviction enabling them to move away from this behaviour.